Ranking the projected starting quarterbacks in the Big 12 for 2023
By Andrew Tineo
11. Hunter Dekkers, Iowa State
There is a love-hate relationship with Hunter Dekkers after his first year starts. Filling Brock Purdy’s shoes leaves some Achilles heel, and Iowa State fans felt a lot of it.
The Cyclones’ offense took a dramatic nosedive, ranked last in scoring. The separation between them and ninth-place West Virginia was more significant than the Mountaineers to first-place TCU.
It wasn’t good.
However, it doesn’t mean Dekkers is an incapable starting quarterback. His lone trustee target Xavier Hutchinson is off to the NFL, and an underdeveloped receiving room gets a year older.
It didn’t help that Iowa State could not find a sustained rushing game, ranking last at just 108 yards per contest.
The Cyclones return Jaylin Noel, their second-most productive receiver from a year ago and tight end Easton Dean is a seasoned veteran. The offensive line is full of upperclassmen, and improvement should be expected.
He does have the third-most passing yards in a single season in Cyclones history, and with more consistency and trust in receivers not named Hutchinson, his ceiling could get higher quicker than many QBs in this area.